Ex-Obama ambassador criticizes Syria policy

Jun. 4, 2014
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Ambassador Robert Ford / JEWEL SAMAD, AFP/Getty Images

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

BRUSSELS -- While President Obama travels in Europe dealing with Russia and Ukraine, his Syria policy has come under attack from his former ambassador to that war-torn country.

Robert Ford told CNN and the PBS NewsHour that he left his ambassador's job this year because he could no longer defend the administration's "behind the curve" policy in Syria.

Al Qaeda-like terrorist groups would be less prevalent in Syria's civil war if the Obama administration had acted earlier to arm moderate opponents of Bashar al-Assad's government, Ford said.

"We have been unable to address either the root causes of the conflict in terms of the fighting on the ground and the balance on the ground, and we have a growing extremism threat," Ford told CNN.

Ford did compliment last year's Russia-brokered deal with Assad regarding the removal of chemical weapons, but said that has also had a limited effect.

"There really is nothing we can point to that's been very successful in our policy except the removal of about ninety-three percent of some of Assad's chemical materials," Ford said. "But now he's using chlorine gas against his opponents."